On Camera: Giant 18-foot oarfish caught off California coast

A marine science instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute in California got perhaps the biggest catch of her lifetime when she came across an 18-foot oarfish while snorkeling on Sunday. Jasmine Santana was about about 2 miles from Avalon, California when she noticed the large fish, KTLA reported.

"It took 15 or 20 of us to pick it up," said Jeff Chace, a program director with CIMI told the TV station.

The rarely-seen oarfish died, according to reports, of natural causes. While this one seemed large, they can grow up to 50 feet. The scientists are now trying to figure out exactly what to do with their large catch.

"The craziest thing we saw during our two day-journey at sea happened when we got home. These islands never cease to amaze," instructor Connor Gallagher said in a news release.

Oarfish sightings are so rare that one 2010 sighting of a live oarfish was newsworthy enough to be documented by the Discovery Channel.